Acts 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Easter: mistranslated “Easter” in Act 12:4, AV, denotes the Passover (RV). The phrase “after the Passover” signifies after the whole festival was at an end. The term “Easter” is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The festival of Pasch held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish feast, but was not instituted by Christ, nor was it connected with Lent. From this Pasch the pagan festival of “Easter” was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity.

My original question was this; if pascha is mistranslated Easter why keep it? Now, a few hours later, in the beginnings of that study I see the term “apostate Western religion”. Who are you calling apostate? Who are you to judge those who celebrate Easter? Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words has been a standard in my search for meaning. What do they mean by apostate and do I apply?

After close study I discovered to my disappointment that name calling is a consistent bad habit even amongst the best intentioned of us. Our desire is to be right on critical matters and we have allowed the need to be right on trivial issues to continue this bad habit.

I have studied under some extremely intelligent and dedicated theologians and without an exception I have found in each of them at least one point of personal judgement that is disturbing in its pronouncement. They all have a personal agenda that they just cannot shake and they erode fellowship for some to the point they scream heretic, blasphemer, or apostate. 

Personal agendas that caustic are not good for unity in the faith and need to be dealt with on a personal level.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

How simple can the gospel get? KISS, God loves you.

I’ve written six devotionals about the need to simplify the gospel and this is number seven. Seven is the number of completion. So I will let this be my last words.

I spent three decades living Satan’s lies. I have spent the rest of my life unraveling those lies in the light of God’s Word. Yes, the gospel is simple, absolutely. Correcting a lifetime of lies is complicated. You cannot forget everything that has happened in your life because it is part of your witness about the power of God unto salvation.

You cannot just read the Word of God and expect God to do all the work? Those walls we built to protect ourselves because we were weak vulnerable people need to come down. Those high towers of pride need to crumble like the walls of Jericho. The changes in us need to be nurtured, encouraged, developed and kept growing to be more Christ like.

 Do you need to know redemption, justification, sanctification, subjection, atonement, communion, election, evangelism, or a hundred more terms that we define to be saved? No. Absolutely not.

Understanding who you are in Christ, your calling, your gifts, and being able to fellowship with the saints effectively and in the loving manner in which Christ exampled means you need to study and understand more than the simple fact that you have been saved.

The essence of this great love God has for us is that it is meant for everyone and not a select few. The love which abides in you, needs to reach out to love others. Not just the people you know but to the stranger and the ones you never would have talked to before coming to Christ. Jesus broke bread with every type.

Do you understand the significance of breaking bread? Maybe you should check it out. It’s not that complicated.